‘It’s Like Inspector Raj’, Union Minister Slams Action Against Nestle

On the day the Bombay High Court lifted the ban on Maggi noodles, Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has criticised the way the issue has been handled by her own government, saying there is a fear psychosis in industry and signs of a return of ‘inspector raj’.

Speaking to NDTV, Ms Badal, when asked for her reaction to the government’s Rs. 640 crore-class action suit against Nestle, said, “This has created a fear psychosis in the industry. It’s like the Inspector raj.”

“In the name of health, industry should not be harassed,” she said, criticising the food regulator. Ms Badal said the biggest problem is a lack of transparency in the system which had no clear set of protocols, saying it was time to harmonise systems with intentional standards.

In a breather to Nestle, the Bombay High Court today lifted the ban on Maggi noodles but said new tests are required to prove that the popular snack does not contain excess lead.

In a sharp indictment of the country’s food safety regulator, the court ruled, “Principles of natural justice have not been followed in announcing the ban”. In June, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said the snack was found “hazardous and unsafe for human consumption”.

More than 2,700 samples of Maggi noodles have been tested by laboratories in India and abroad in recent months, and each test confirmed the level of lead to be “far below permissible limits,” Nestle said in a statement recently.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal is a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal, an ally of the BJP that heads the NDA coalition that rules the Centre.